Top Five Yoga Breathing Exercises

To breathe, is to live, and by controlling the breath we can invite more stillness, energy and focus into our practice and into our daily life. 

This article will introduce you to five yoga breathing exercsies and provide you with clear instructions on how to perform them correctly with the breath so that you feel confident to bring them into your own practice. You will learn about the benefits that can be experienced from including these exercises daily practice.

Place your pointer and middle finger of your right hand and place them on your third eye, in between the brow. The thumb will be used to cover your right nostril, and your ring finger to cover your left. Start by covering your right and inhaling up your left. Cover your left and exhale down your right. Then inhale up your right, cover your right and exhale down your left. Inhale up the left, cover, exhale down your right, and so on.  

The difference between Alternate nostril breathing preparation and the full Pranayama, is that with this version there is no retention of the breath. This makes it a very beginner friendly means of balancing the two hemispheres of the brain. It has a cooling effect on the mind and body and works to clear out any blockages in the energy channels of the body.

This inhalation breath is broken up into three parts. Start by sipping in a little breath and sending it down to the belly. Then sip in a little more, filling up the lungs and the chest. Finally, sip in a final breath, filling up the upper chest. Pause momentarily and then exhale fully. 

The difference between this preparatory breath and the full Pranayama, is that again, with this version there is no retention of the breath. Isolating the breath into three distinct sections allows you to really explore the depth of the breath inside of the body.

Inhale through the nose, taking the arms up overhead. Drop the head back, open to mouth, stick out the tongue, and exhale audibly through the mouth. As you exhale, bring the arms down into cactus arms.

This breath provides an opportunity to let go of any tension that’s built up during a vigours practice. It also invites you to let go of taking yourself too seriously. It releases tension in the throat, neck and face and stimulates the throat chakra. 

Bring the hands up in line with the shoulders and make fists. Inhale through the nose and take the arms up. Open the hands at the top and then exhale vigorously through the nose, pulling the arms back down and again making fists with the hands. 

There is the option to have the hands on the belly here, to bring awareness to the breath as it fills this space. It increases blood and oxygen supply to the lungs and helps to resolve any lung disorders.

Inhale and exhale through the nose, but on the out breath drag the breath along the back of the throat, creating an audible hissing sound. 

This breath can be maintained right up until the final relaxation and your Shavasana. It mimics the sound of the ocean and helps to keep you out of the mind and in the body. It should be audible to your neighbour if you are practicing in a class.

Breathing exercises are effective for calming the physical and mental body, but they can also be used as a preparation before going into Pranayama, which is a little more intense and should be practiced with care. You can practice breathing exercises at any point in your practice and they can even be taken with you off of your mat. Give them a go if you are needing to quickly check yourself and reign in any triggered emotional responses. 

Breathing techniques are a great tool for calming the body and mind as they work to fight against anxiety and frustration. They can warm the body, diminish headaches and overall, they have a soothing effect. They are not to be mistaken for Pranayama techniques, but they are a great step in preparing the body and mind for more conscious breathing. They can be included at any point of your practice, especially the Ocean Breath which can be maintained from beginning to end, and works to synchronise the breath with movement.

 The five breathing techniques that you have been introduced to work to calm the mind when the ego is being relentlessly loud. They will bring some heat and energy to the body, while simultaneously invoking a stillness. They lay the appropriate foundations for a practitioner to move safely into more intense Pranayama breathing.

The techniques that were covered; Alternate Nostril Breath Prep, Three Part Yogic Breath Prep, Lions Breath, Bellows Breath and The Ocean Breath. They can be utilised at any point of practice and can be great tools to calm the mind off of the yoga mat.